Thoughtful newspaper delivery man makes it into the paper

Cristobal Gallegos, 53, of La Puente delivering newspapers on Wednesday, March 19, 2014, at Royal Oaks Retirement Home in Bradbury. Gallegos places each of the 150 newspapers end up so that residents don't have to reach down so far. (Photo by Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News)

For the first time in the 23 years Cristobal Gallegos has been delivering newspapers, he’s finally in one today.

This hard working, sweet man thought the people on his route never really noticed him all that much delivering their papers between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. — standing each edition on its end against the frame of their door so they didn’t have to bend down so far to pick it up.

He was wrong. The 150 newspaper subscribers (out of approximately 250 total residents) living at Royal Oaks Retirement Home in Bradbury — a small city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley — noticed.

They knew how much this gesture meant to many of the people living behind these doors who were getting on in years and often lost their balance bending over too far, sometimes falling.

Word spread about the newspaper deliveryman stopping by the infirmary upstairs to make sure his customers who were sick would wake up that morning with their favorite newspaper on the side table. And an extra one at their front door downstairs for a spouse.

They heard that Cristobal had even helped a few residents who had fallen and hurt themselves, like Carol Butler.

“I tripped when I was taking an early morning walk, and was lying there dazed, bleeding from my face,” she said. “When I looked up, there was Chris reaching down with his left hand to pick me up while balancing a stack of newspapers on his other shoulder. He handed me a wipe for my face and went to get help.”

It’s stories like this that filled the lobby area last week with close to 100 residents honoring and applauding their newspaper deliveryman for the 23 years of service he thought they hadn’t noticed.

“It’s very hard for me to express my feelings right now,” an emotional Cristobal said in a soft voice — his wife, Maria, and 21-year-old daughter, Brook, sitting nearby with proud smiles on their faces.

“Thank you,” he added. “I really never expected anything like this.”

Seven days a week, this humble man rises from bed at 2:30 a.m. for a quick breakfast and shower before leaving home for the half-hour drive to the newspaper distribution center in Baldwin Park.

By 4:30 a.m. he’s consolidated the sections and inserts for nine different newspapers, including the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune and one Chinese daily. Six people used to do this job and deliver the same papers.

Advertisement

By 5 a.m., he’s at Royal Oaks walking the hallways of the main residential buildings four floors, then he walks over to three more buildings and a few cottages — standing each newspaper up against the side of the door, like a line of paper soldiers taking a rest.

By 6:30 a.m., when most of the readers are just opening their door to get half their morning fix — a newspaper and cup of coffee — Cristobal has already left.

He’s back in his car for the drive — three freeway transitions away — to his full-time job for a logistics company in Rancho Cucamonga. By the time he gets home during the week, he has a few hours to eat and catch up on family business with Maria before it’s time to go to bed.

“In 23 years, he’s missed only one day delivering newspapers,” she says. “He was just too sick to get out of bed. That’s the kind of man he is.”

Former Republican State Sen. Bob Margett , who represented the 29th District for eight years (2000-2008), lives at the upscale retirement home, and he’s noticed, too.

“It’s the little things he does for people, the way he goes about his work in such a special fashion,” Margett says. “Some mornings when I’m up early I see him walking down the hallways with that stack of papers on his shoulder.

“I’ve asked, ‘Chris, doesn’t that hurt?’ He just smiles and says, ‘no, I’m just getting my exercise.’ That man has the admiration and respect of a lot of people living here, including me.”

Only on Sundays, when the papers are heavier with ads, does Cristobal use a cart.

One by one, after all the short speeches were done, the loyal newspaper readers of Royal Oaks walked up to their deliveryman and gave him a hug or a handshake — along with a thank you card with a little something in it.

“Whenever anyone’s sick, Chris always makes a special visit to the infirmary to sit and talk with them for a few minutes at the end of his route on weekends when he has more time,” says resident Ethel Whitson, who organized the surprise party.

“Just look around this room and you can see how people feel about him. He didn’t think we were noticing, but we were.”

And today, the newspaper deliveryman gets one more thing he didn’t expect.

“I never thought I’d be delivering a newspaper I was in,” Cristobal Gallegos said.

Enjoy it, Chris. Today, you’re the news.

Dennis McCarthy’s column runs on Friday. He can be reached at dmccarthynews@gmail.com.